Sensible Tips to Losing Weight

When it comes to fitness and a healthy way of life, weight loss has always been a hot topic.

You can do anything you put your mind into! Believe it, own it, do it!

It's less difficult to shed unwanted pounds than you might imagine. But let's be honest: just like gaining weight, losing it takes time. Consistency is key, even when you slip up, and you will. Let's face it; you don't live in a fishbowl, so you'll inevitably have to participate in social events. You don't have to be the person that always says, "Oh no, I can't. I am on a diet." 

Having faith in yourself is the basic requirement for getting started.

Diet – it is such a restrictive word. But don't worry, we are not offering yet another "miracle" or "too good to be true" diet.

Losing weight is pure science, the science of what you eat, there are no magic pills or tricks. Once you realize this, you will be in control of your body weight, leading to a healthier lifestyle and a more manageable weight.

Let us explain how… Evaluating what and how much you consume should be your priority while trying to lose weight.

A calorie deficit is such a misunderstood concept of the weight loss journey. The age-old equation creating a calorie deficit to lose weight needs to be aided with some form of active lifestyle. You can't have three daily meals, each 800 calories, plus snacks, burn on average 600 calories from basic activities and wish to lose weight. That is simply wishful thinking. You are spinning your wheels, which leads to discouragement and disappointment.

Eat less, exercise more. If only it were that simple!

Take a good look at what you eat and drink …

Reducing caloric intake starts with portion control. That's right, portion control. If your meal portion doesn’t fit in the palms of your hands, than you are probably going into caloric overload. Portion control is essential to manage your caloric intake and its vital to your weight loss success.

Do not skip breakfast. Skipping on breakfast will not help you lose weight. You will miss out on essential nutrients, and you will end up snacking more throughout the day because your cravings will intensify.

Another downfall is eating late at night. When you eat late at night, you do not allow your body to burn the calories. Thus, you overload your body, and instead of burning the calories, your body stores them in the form of fat. Good rule of thumb is to stop eating by 6 p.m., and when your cravings come knocking, have calorie free snacks of whole foods, like veggies or fruits and lots of water.

Picking healthier food choices is essential. Let's face it, chips, pretzels, or chocolates are not good snack options. Instead get some sort of trail mix, and most importantly replace soda with water. Drink lots of water. If you must have your favorite snack count the calories and limit your portions and be honest with yourself. The key here is doing the right thing for yourself when no one is watching. After all, you have embarked on this journey for yourself.

Learn to count calories without making it a burdensome task that will lead to discouragement.

Track what you eat … what you put in your body makes a huge difference. Your goal is to replace bad calories with good calories, within calorie limits.

If you are serious about losing weight, take these steps into consideration:

Track what you eat and focus on healthier options. Track, reduce and eliminate your intake of added sugars, carbs, fats, and processed foods, as much as possible. Focus on whole foods. Try and eliminate added sugar. Added sugars, while tasty, are one of your biggest enemy.

Drink a lot of water. Hydration is probably one of the most important aspects of losing weight.

If water is unappealing to you try to infuse the flavor with cucumber, raspberry, lime, peach, fresh oranges—get creative.  If you must give in to your sweet tooth, use natural sweeteners like Stevia.

Preplan your meals. Planning your meals will ensure you stay on course and keep you in line to success.

Change the way you move. Burning calories is key. If you are not the gym-goer type, walk. Walking is a proven alternative to running. Let’s face it the gym and running are not appealing to everyone. Instead, you can create the same results with home fitness. Check out FITLEY Home Fitness for equipment inspirations.

Remove temptation. Keeping unhealthy snacks at home is a recipe for disaster. Do a pantry makeover and replace unhealthy snacks. Veggies and fruits are your best alternatives, they are filling and tasty.

Do not ban foods. Do not ban any foods, especially the ones you love. Banning foods will only make you crave them more. There is no reason you cannot enjoy the occasional treat if you stay within your daily calorie allowance.

Learn how to order at restaurants. Social events are inevitable and understanding healthier meal swaps is essential. You can still enjoy a night out and make better food choices. It’s where calories count will come to your rescue.

Cut down on alcohol. A glass of wine can contain as many calories as a piece of chocolate. Over time, alcohol can easily contribute to weight gain. If you must, glass of red wine if preferable to white.

Sleep! Getting quality sleep is another weight loss essential. You burn about 50 calories an hour while a sleep. Plus, the longer you stay awake at night, the temptation to eat out of boredom will always lurk around. Snooze, in this case you won’t lose.

However, the most important key to your weight loss journey is consistency. We all have moments of weakness and fall off the wagon. That's okay! Get right back on it as soon as you can.

Try the “Healthline” calorie calculator guide, based on gender, age, height, weight, and lifestyle. Which will help you better understand caloric math, the key to your success.